Getting a puppy is no joke. It’s serious business but let me tell you something – IT BRINGS MY HEART SO MUCH JOY. If you are thinking about getting a puppy really weigh the pros and cons, and most importantly – make sure you have enough time to spend with your puppy. Week one of having a puppy went a little something like this : We brought him home from West Virginia and he slept and cried the whole way. That evening we immediately took him to PetSmart to purchase everything we needed. I remember pushing the cart with him in it thinking, “What are we doing?”. We get home and I try to implement everything I learned from Ceasar Milan, lol. I thought, “Make sure you walk into the house first before the puppy – You are the master”. We bring him in to the house and he flips out. He no longer is around his mother and he paces. We finally make it up to our room and ALL NIGHT he cries. Eventually he tires himself out and goes to sleep. In the morning, Dre goes to get him out of his cage and says, “Baaaabe, hurrry. Come downstairs!!” The dog had pooped EVERYWHERE. The poop was all over his fur, in his paws, wedged in the crate bars . . .it was gross. Like something you would see out of a movie, we picked him up and held him as far away from our body as possible while running upstairs to the bathroom to give him a bath. Hokie was horrified, we were horrified, and all I could do was cry. I had to talk myself out of giving him back. The first week/month was a constant watching him to see what he ate (I found a nail in his mouth once) and wiping up pee & poop. Finally after a month we got the hang of things. Almost six months later I am MADLY IN LOVE with my dog. He’s going through a terrible twos stage (I think). He’s a little possessive about his sticks at the dog park and gets a little mouthy with me sometimes but I still love him. He is the best cuddle bug ever!!!
If you are thinking about getting a dog keep these things in mind – Money goes out the door. The shots, the surgery, the food, the boarding, the toys, the grooming all cost moo lah. Hokie is an expensive little family member but worth every cent. YOU NEED TO HAVE TIME. These little guys weren’t meant to be tied up all day or shoved in a cage. They want love too and don’t want to be cooped up behind bars. If you are a traveler or hard worker it may not be the right time for a pet . . .maybe a goldfish. Just like a baby, you won’t get sleep for a while. They have small bladders so you have to get up in the middle of the night and take them out (not fun). These little guys EAT EVERYTHING they see. I swear, we “puppy-proofed” the house and he STILL managed to find a nail, a safety pin and many other choakable items. If you think you can handle all of this then a puppy is for you! The pros of having a sweet little animal unconditionally love you, outweigh the cons of the crappy first month!
